Investigating the power of prayer in a medical setting

The importance of spiritual care for our health is increasingly being recognized throughout the world. “Western medicine is certainly much more open now to this path of prayer,” stated Daniel J. Sullivan, MA, MDiv, in a recent interview. Dan is the Director of Spiritual Care at Rush-Copley Medical Center in Aurora, IL.

“It is quite an evolution. There is far more respect and integration between the disciplines. I have physicians who ask me to come down and see this patient or to consult with them. In the past, a referral only came when there was nothing more medicine could do,” said Sullivan.

There are a number of reasons this shift might be taking place: chronic conditions that medical science has not been able to alleviate or cure; increased awareness of the mind-body connection; data that shows prayer has a positive impact on numerous conditions; and patients who want to be treated as whole people, not just mechanical parts.

A health-crisis or hospital stay often makes individuals consider all of their treatment options, prayer included. Sullivan likened his work to the Biblical story of the walk to Emmaus (see Luke 24). In that passage, Jesus has been resurrected and is walking along with grief-stricken followers who don’t recognize him.

He listens intently to their concerns and anguish. He talks with them gently until their fears lessen, and “their eyes are opened”. They recognize him and have the courage and strength to go forward.

This is the walk often characterized in Sullivan’s work. It’s a walk of prayer, played out in scenes such as when a 250 pound man grabbed his hand and asked him to pray for him. And always it is a journey of compassion that acclimates to the need of the patient.

Writing about the enduring significance of this walk to Emmaus, Christian healer Mary Baker Eddy said, “The divine Spirit, which identified Jesus thus centuries ago, has spoken through the inspired Word and will speak through it in every age and clime. It is revealed to the receptive heart, and is again seen casting out evil and healing the sick.”

Sullivan’s walk also includes many of the hospital staff. In response to a National Institute of Health study that showed the effectiveness of prayer, Sullivan sent out an e-mail to all hospital staff (doctors, nurses, technicians, housekeeping) asking if they would like to be part of a “prayer team that never meets” – the Rush-Copley Intercessory Prayer Team.

Rather than meeting as a team, the group receives a confidential e-mail each day that lists individuals who would like others to pray for them. Each team member prays in their own way. “This is an immense satisfier”, Sullivan told me, “as both patient and staff find great value in this solidarity of prayer. It is amazing what the power of the meeting of a human and divine touch can do.”

As Sullivan reassured me, “Everyone is deserving of God’s love. Our spirituality grows as time goes on. This may be part of the growing process. We are walking along in the presence of the divine, just like at Emmaus.”

As we open our hearts to the possibility of the divine presence in our lives, we can feel the love and comfort of that “divine Spirit”. We can also expect healing results.

Author: Tim Mitchinson

Thomas (Tim) Mitchinson is a self-syndicated columnist writing on the relationship between thought, spirituality and health, and trends in that field. He is also the media spokesman for Christian Science in Illinois. You can contact him at illinois@compub.org.
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